Top 3 Primary Draft Targets For The Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have been historically bad at the draft. True, they’ve gotten lucky in recent years by being able to trade for Andrew Wiggins and getting the number one overall and were able to grab Karl -Anthony Towns with it. But the Timberwolves have also passed on talents like Steph Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, and Ray Allen for players like Johnny Flynn and Wesley Johnson.

This year, the Timberwolves have the no. 20 overall but they also have a team loaded with potential tools to move up in the draft. And with those, there are a few players who could make a lasting impact on the Timberwolves.

3. Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova

DiVincenzo was not necessarily on anyone’s radar, until the national title game. In that, he hit 5 straight three-pointers and then went on to be incredibly impressive at the Combine. Now, he’s considered a first-round prospect and some boards even have him going in the last few picks of the lottery.

DiVincenzo has an impressive shooting range; he’s shot 40% from three this season. Another great aspect of DiVincenzo’s game is his coolness under pressure; a quality he put on full display when he went 5-7 from 3 and 10-15 from the field. As well as impressive shooting, which lead him to score 31 points, he also tallied 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal en route to Villanova winning the National Championship. Throughout his Sophomore season, DiVincenzo averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in what was his best season yet.

He is a little undersized at 6’4” and 200 lbs, but he’s an incredible athlete with a high amount of upside.

How the Timberwolves can get him:

Just draft him. Most mock drafts have DiVincenzo going around the 20th pick, which is the one the Timberwolves currently hold. DiVincenzo would be a great addition to a Timberwolves team that could use a small boost in their backcourt to support Jimmy Butler.

2. Aaron Holiday, UCLA

Holiday is another promising point guard in this draft. Again a little undersized at 6’1 and 185 lbs, but his stats more than make up for that. He averaged 20 points, 5 assists, and 1.3 steals for a Bruins team that made the NCAA tournament this year.

However, his shooting leaves a little something to be desired. While he did shoot 42% from 3 and 82% from the line, he only shot 49% from the field. That’s because, most likely due to his size, Holiday shoots primarily from three-point range. His inside game needs to be developed a little to be a great point guard in the league, but his defense is incredibly promising and he has a three-point shot that will translate easily into today’s game.

How the Timberwolves can get him:

Again, Holiday is a prospect that the Wolves could just draft. He is projected to go 20-23 in the first round and he would be another great addition to the Wolves backcourt.

1. Chandler Hutchison, Boise State

With an Andrew Wiggins trade on the horizon, considering he’s been rocking the boat and is locked down until 2022-23, the Wolves are going to be desperate for a Small Forward. Marcus Georges-Hunt hasn’t really proved himself, considering his best stat is 1.4 ppg.

Admittedly, he only averaged 5.5 minutes this last season, but none of his stats really jump off the page. That being said, Senior Chandler Hutchison from Boise State could be a high-quality replacement.

Averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and almost 2 steals per game; Hutchison has a very high upside to him and fairly small downside. His shooting is also very intriguing. He shot 47% from the field, 36% from three, and 72% from the line this past season. Numbers that, while they may not jump off the page, are a solid starting point for NBA level play.

How the Timberwolves can get him:

Through the draft again. He is projected to go 21-25 in the first round and he would be a very good addition to the Wolves backcourt.